Leadership Solutions by Design
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"Empowering leaders to unlock their potential, navigate change, and drive meaningful success with confidence." But Karie's not just about the boardroom hustle.
Meet Karie Millspaugh, a seasoned pro with a knack for business strategy, communications, executive leadership, PR, and digital marketing. As the visionary force behind Leadership Solutions by Design, a premier coaching and training agency, she lends her strategic acumen to executives from major tech giants like Microsoft, as well as to nimble startups and medium-sized enterprises alike. She's als
06/03/2026
🚨 question:
Have we confused being needed with being effective?
So many leaders spend their days putting out fires…
Responding to urgent emails.
Jumping into team issues.
Solving problems immediately.
Carrying the weight of everyone and everything.
And eventually, “busy” starts feeling like leadership.
But what if constantly rescuing your team is unintentionally creating more dependence instead of more growth?
In the latest episode of The Leadership Lounge, I’m diving into:
🔥 The hidden cost of reactive leadership
🔥 Why high performers often become exhausted leaders
🔥 The difference between helping vs. rescuing
🔥 How leaders unintentionally create dependency
🔥 Practical coaching tools to develop stronger teams and healthier cultures
One of the biggest leadership shifts we can make is moving from:
👉 Problem Solver → Thought Partner
Because leadership isn’t about carrying every problem.
It’s about building people who become stronger because of your leadership.
This episode is for leaders, executives, managers, entrepreneurs, and anyone feeling stuck in constant reaction mode.
🎧 Podcast link in comments
👇 I’d love to hear your perspective:
What’s one leadership habit you’ve had to intentionally unlearn?
🎧 New podcast episode – See link in bio
🎥 Feeling like you’re putting out fires all day?
Life has a way of throwing the unexpected at us, but not every fire deserves your fuel.
In this podcast episode, we talk about how to pause, respond with intention, and focus on what truly matters.
Listen now at the link below and let me know what resonates with you. ❤️
05/29/2026
My caricature is having a WAY BETTER hair day than I am having today - in real life… 😁
✨ A Little Reminder for Anyone Who Needs It Today… ✨
You don’t have to have it all figured out.
You don’t have to be perfect.
You don’t have to earn your worth.
You don’t have to carry every burden by yourself.
For years, I chased achievement, approval, and the next goal, believing that if I accomplished enough, I would finally feel enough.
What I’ve learned is this:
💗 My value was never found in my accomplishments.
💗 My peace was never found in my circumstances.
💗 My identity was never meant to be built on the opinions of others.
It was found in Jesus all along.
When life gets heavy, I remind myself:
✨ I am loved.
✨ I am chosen.
✨ I am forgiven.
✨ I am enough because He says I am.
The older I get, the more I realize that faith isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about trusting the One who does.
No matter what you’re facing today, God hasn’t forgotten you.
He sees you.
He knows your story.
And He is still writing beautiful chapters ahead.
🙏 “Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10
💕 Remember: You don’t have to be perfect to be loved by God. You already are.
Share what you’re grateful for in the comments…
05/26/2026
Life is a lot like hiking… 🥾💙
Some trails are easy.
Some feel uphill the entire way.
Some leave you wondering if you took a wrong turn.
But every trail teaches you something.
Keep chasing the views.
Keep choosing joy.
Keep stretching beyond your comfort zone.
Keep becoming the person you’re meant to be.
And don’t forget to look around while you’re climbing… because sometimes the journey itself becomes the reward. ✨⛰️
P.S. Fresh air, blue water, sunshine, and a little perspective can fix a lot of things. ☀️
First backpacking overnighter of the season. 🎒🥾🌲 May 16-17
We were a little bit rusty, but for the most part, we make a good team - which improves the overall camping experience. ⛺️
The bugs welcomed us with open arms, especially Matthew 😳… and the ticks were also very excited to have visitors - especially our little furry camper. 🐾🦮 😣
I am on information overload and am highly overstimulated by the whirlwind of events for the past two days. 😁 but processing it all with gratitude. 🙏🏻
I am soaking my tired body in a bath full of Epson salts as I post this… 🥱🛁🫧
My stories/videos give the best play-by-play of our awesome two days at the Winsome Women conference held at the Grand Hotel in Mackinaw Island. (more photos and videos to come) 📸
Back Story🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷
When we planned this trip back in February, it had sentimental value for Shawna and myself.
The last time I was at this women’s event - was in the fall of 2002. I was pregnant for the first time and unfortunately lost that baby the following month… 👼
The last time Shawna was there was in 2009, and she had sadly, miscarried her first pregnancy - just a few months prior. 
So we both thought it would be a beautiful full circle moment to go the week of Mother’s Day and bring our daughters that we had after our miscarriages… 🥹
A beautiful promise that God always … I repeat always comes through for us. ✝️🙏🏻
Even if life seems bleak, empty, or you feel like God is silent right now… Just remember a lot can happen in that pause before He blesses you.
Keep the faith and keep walking in the light… your upgrade is coming! ♥️
P.S. there’s something magical about hearing 300 or more women, singing, praise and worship… 🎶🎵😁🥰

05/20/2026
Life has a way of feeling like a mountain climb sometimes. 🥾⛰️
There are seasons where the trail feels clear… and seasons where you’re carrying more than you ever expected. But I’ve learned that growth rarely happens standing still.
Keep taking the next step.
Lead with purpose.
Choose progress over perfection.
Stay grounded in what matters.
Lift others as you rise.
You are stronger than you think, more resilient than you feel, and more capable than you realize.
The view ahead is worth the climb. 💙
Resilience
I see this all the time with high-performing leaders…
They think doing more = leading better.
So they step in.
They fix.
They fill the gaps.
They carry the weight of the team.
And on the surface, it looks like leadership.
But over time?
It creates dependency, burnout, and a team that stops stepping up.
In this week’s episode of The Leadership Lounge, I’m breaking down a shift every executive needs to make:
What happens when you stop overfunctioning.
Because real leadership isn’t about doing it all…
it’s about creating the space for others to rise.
And when you stop overcompensating…
you finally see where the gaps really are.
🎧 Link in bio
March will always feel like our month 🌷☘️
From a cozy spa getaway with Shyla at the in Petoskey…
to celebrating my birthday in the middle of a record-breaking blizzard in Traverse City (because of course we did 😄)…
to a simple, low-key birthday lunch for Shyla with family…
And then wrapping it all up with Easter…church at and brunch together at - just a full heart all around.
The simple moments really are the best ones 🤍💐🌷☺️
You can have your life together…
and still feel like something’s off.
Like…
you’re productive ✔️
you look put together ✔️
you’re doing “all the things” ✔️
…but internally?
😅 a little tired
🤯 a little overwhelmed
🤔 maybe even questioning things
If that’s you—you’re not broken.
You might just be out of alignment.
I just dropped a new podcast episode breaking down the 6 pillars of a fully aligned life—and why focusing on just one or two (hello physical + career 👋) isn’t enough.
Because real fulfillment?
It’s not just how your life looks…
it’s how it feels.
🎧 Link to episode in bio
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